Pyrophoric lighter



Patented Nov. 23, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PYROPHORIC LIGHTER Frederick James Camm, London, England Application May 16, 1946, Serial No. 670,056 In Great Britain January 25, 1946 adapted to engage with radially arranged ratchet teeth formed on the sides of the int wheel so as to rotate the latter on its axle in one direction, i. e. to abrade the flint to ignite the wick. Now it is not only inconvenient and expensive to provide the side of the flint wheel with ratchet teeth but what is more important, the spring controlled pawl adapted to engage the teeth usually takes the form of a blade spring, which owing to its proximity to the wick flame is liable to lose its temper and so becomes useless for its purpose.

Moreover a further and greater disadvantage in such a construction is the lost motion which takes place should the pawl fail to engage irnmediately with one of the ratchet teeth on the side of the flint wheel. Now the number of ratchet teeth on the side of a iiint`wheel is usually five in number, a greater number not being readily practicable; it follows that 72 of movement is lost should the pawl fail to engage immediately with one of the ratchet teeth when the plunger or lever is depressed. Further, owing to the pressure required to flex a relatively short and stiii blade spring pawl considerable power is required to obtain an easy return movement of the parts and an undesirable side-thrust is also exerted on the int wheel.

Also in such lighters no provision has been made hitherto for carrying a supply of spare flints accessible for use adjacent to the abrading wheel so as to allow for a ready substitution of a fresh iiint for one no longer usable.

Neither has it been possible without great diilln culty to raise the Wick from the nipple as it becomes consumed, because despite the usual transverse orifice usually provided in said nipple for the insertion of a pin to raisethe wick, such an operation is practically impossible owing to the wick within the body of the light-er being so tightly packed and intertangled with the absorbent material within said body.

`The present invention overcomes all the above mentioned drawbacks and results in the production of a lighter not only particularly easy to operate but less expensive to produce and` incorporating only two compression springs, one for use in propelling the flint and one for returning the plunger or its equivalent and with it the snuffer to its initial position after use thus eliminating specially formed tailed and other types of springs which easily break. A further advantage resides in the fact that the lighter, when constructed as a pocket lighter, cannot be inadvertently operated unless in a vertical position for use.

The present invention comprises a pyrophoric lighter consisting of a suitably shaped closed receptacle adapted to contain absorbent material saturated with inflammable liquid, a closeable filling orifice for said liquid, an abrasive flint wheel indirectly operably mounted on ythe outside of the receptacle, a snuffer arm or housing moveable on the axis of the flint wheel, a roller- (or ball) clutch of the one way type carried within said housing, a spring controlled finger operable lever or plunger pivotally connected to said housing in such wise that the flint wheel is partially rotated from the angular motion derived from operating the spring controlled lever or plunger, a magazine for a plurality of ints so arranged that one of said ilints may be brought into such position as to allow its one end to be acted upon by the flint wheel', an

adjustable spring for propelling the flint on to said wheel and a rotatable nipple on said re-` ceptacle arranged adjacent to said wheel and throughthe convoluted bore of which the. free end of a wick contained within the receptacle can pass.

AThis invention will now be more particularly described making reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view in side elevation-on an enlarged scale-of a pocket lighter embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of said lighter.

Fig. 3 is a view in plan'thereof, partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a View in section on line A-A of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a View in section on line B-B of Fig. 1.

Throughout the views similar parts are denoted by like numerals of reference.

A closed oblong or other shaped receptacle I adapted to contain absorbent material-such as cotton wool-saturated with readily iniiarnmable liquid and a wick, is provided on its underside with a liquid lling orifice closeable by a screw plug 2. 1

On the top plate of said receptacle is mounted an abrasive flint wheel 3 in the form of a circular milling cutter with cutting teeth on its periphery. This wheel 3 is freely revoluble on an axle 4 carried in bearings formed in a bifurcated support 5 fixed on the top plate of the receptacle I. The base of the support 5 is provided with a nipple 6 through which projects a flint 'I, the top end of which is diametrically below and in contact with the teeth of the wheel 3.

The flint magazine comprises a cylindrical casing 8 fixed to the upper plate of the receptacle I and depending therein. Within the casing 8 is revolubly mounted a cylindrical block or barrel 9 of a height approximating to the length of the flints employed and adapted to be rotated on top and bottom centres IB working in the bottom plate of the casing 8 and the top plate of the receptacle I.

VThe block or barrel 9y is provided with a series of concentricall'yarranged chambers or pockets each of which Iis adapted to contain a single ilint l, see more particularly Fig. 4,

The upper-edge of the block or barrel El is pro- Vid'ed with a milled edge or ange I I which is of such a' diameter as to project through slots in the front and back faces of the receptacle I in order' that the block or barrel may be readily rotated from outside the receptacle. ing marks or other means may be provided to show or position the block or barrel 9 when a flint isin a position to project freely through the orifice in the nipple 6.

The flints are fed` in to the chambers or pockets in the block 9 through an orifice in the top plate of the receptacle I, which orifice is normally closed by a screw plug I2 or its equivalent.

The flint 'I in use is pressed upwardly into contact with the flint wheel 3 by means of a piston' I3 passing through an orifice in the bottom of the casing 8 and under the influence of a compression spring I4. The piston I3 and spring I4 are contained within a cylindrical casing I5=r secured by itsY top and bottom edges to the bottom of the casing 8 and lower plate I6 off the receptacle respectively.

The lower partl ofthe spring I4 is carried within asleeved plug' IIl screwed into the casing I5 and operable by a head I8 on the exterior of the @plate I6.

In order to readily adjust the compression of the springIfI; a screw threaded bush I9 is threaded centrally through the head I8 of the plug I'I. A washer' 20 carrying the lowermost coil of the spring I4 contacts with the upper surface of the bush I9 and centrally through it and the washer fis passed al spindle ZI. This spindle 2l is of a square or.other suitable non-circular cross-section working through correspondingly shaped holes in the bush I9 so that on rotating the spindle 2|, the bush I9 and washer 2li is moved axially.

To rotate the sp-indle 2I its lower end terminates in a milled head 22 operable from the outside ofthe receptacle. The upper end of the spindie 2li terminates in a stop or button 23. The spindle 2I is frictionally held within the bush I9 and washer20 or other suitable means may be provided to keep the parts in engagement.

On the top plate of the receptacle adjacent to the wheel 3 is carried the one end of the wick. This upper end of the wick projects through a nipple 24, the upper exterior surface of which is Registerpreferably coned as shown and is then provided with a milled flange 25.

The lower part of the nipple 24 is screw threaded to engage with an internally screw threaded bushing so as to allow the nipple 24 to be freely rotated exteriorly-by its flange 25-and within the top plate of the receptacle. The axial bore 2I for the wick through the nipple 24 is screw threaded or provided with helical undulations adapted to grip and engage the surface of the wick in such manner that on gripping the free or upper end of the wick to -prevent its rotation and rotatingA the milled flange 25, the wick is raised or lowered.

The f1int" wheel 3 is rotated and a guard therefor and for the wick is provided in the following manner: An arm or lever 28 of a channel shape in cross section to which the axle 4 is fixed carries at its one end a iixed block 29 which is bored to nt over the nipple 24 and is provided with a tangential: or inclined. surface or slot 30. This surfaceor slot is so positioned or shaped in relation to the periphery of the wheel 3 that a roller 3| (or ball) interposed between said surface or slot 33 and the periphery of the wheel 3 is jammed against the latter when the arm or lever 23 is moved upwardly and so causing the wheel 3- to partially rotate or move angularly with said arm or lever, but when the latter moves downwardly into its initial position, the roller 3I -(or ball) moves into a position at a greater distance from the axis ofv the wheel and lever, thus rolling on the periphery of the wheel and no longer driving the wheel. In order to ensure that the wheel 3 does not rotate on the return movement of the arm or lever 28, slight friction may be applied tothe wheel in any convenient manner, for instance by a spring washer or by making the wheel a close t on its axle, The pressure of the flint on the wheel may be sufficient for such purpose but inv order to prevent' undue wear on the flint it is preferable not to apply the requisite friction by highly compressing the flint spring, I4.

The'lever 28is operated by an aligned arm 32, the one end of which is bifurcated and slotted to receive headed studs 33 screwed into the circular side portions of the arm or lever 28. The opposite end of the arm 32 carries a depending plunger 34 sliding in a cylindrical casing 35v xed to the top plate of the receptacle I and extending downwardly within the receptacle. The vertical movement of the plunger 34 is spring controlled preferably by a compression spring 36 contained within saidv casing 35. The free end of the arm 32 is furnished with a roughened operable plate 3l.

In operation, on depressing the arm 32 against the action of its spring 36 the arm or lever 28 will be raised (the new positions are shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1) and at the same time the ilint wheel 3 will be partially rotated by the roller 3i (or ball) jamming between the periphery of the wheel 3 and the surface 30 carried by the arm or lever 28, thus causing the teeth of the wheel 3 to engage with the flint so as to produce one or more sparks to ignite the wick, On removing pressure from the arm 32 it will move upwardly under the pressure of its spring 36 and the arm or lever will move downwardly to snuff out the wick, but the flint wheel 3 will remain stationary since the roller 3' I moves out of jamming cont'act with the periphery of the wheel 3 and merely rolls thereon. It will be seen that as the roller 3I is.l freev to rise and fall in avertical direction when not in jamming contact with the wheel 3 should the lighter become inverted, for instance in the pocket, it will fail to function, if inadvertently operated, since the roller 3| will move out of jamming contact with the wheel 3.

When it becomes necessary to place a new flint in position for use, the pressure of the spring I4 is rst reduced suiliciently either by unscrewing the sleeved plug I'I by its head I8 or unscrewing the bush I9 by operating the head 22 or by a combination of both operations until the piston I3 drops clear of the magazine casing 8, further downward movement of the piston I3 is prevented by a shoulder or stop |5a in the casing I5; the block or barrel 9 is then partially rotated by its milled edge II to bring the next hint 'I in line with the orices in the casing 8 and nipple 6, the spring I4 is then re-compressed to bring the piston I3 into Contact with the underside of the new flint and its top surface into contact with the wheel 3.

What I claim is:

A pyrophoric lighter comprising a suitably shaped closed receptacle adapted to contain absorbent material saturated with inflammable liquid, a closable liquid filling orice in said receptacle, an abrasive flint wheel mounted in bearings on the outside of the receptacle, a wick nipple carried adjacently to the flint wheel, a channel shaped lever pivoted to the axis of the flint wheel and forming a guard therefor, a block carried within one end of the lever to form a snuifer for the wick and formed with a tangential surface contiguous to the periphery of the flint wheel, a roller (or ball) interposed between such surface and the periphery of the flint wheel to form therewith a. one Way clutch, a bifurcated finger operable arm aligned with said lever and slotted to receive headed studs screwed into the sides of said lever, a spring controlled rectilinearly moving plunger depending from said arm, a magazine for a plurality of ints consisting of a series of concentrically and vertically arranged pockets, one for each flint, formed in a barrel rotatably carried within a casing iixed within the upper part of the receptacle, a flint nipple carried on the top plate of the receptacle beneath the periphery of the flint wheel and the bore of said nipple communicating with one of said pockets and an adjustable spring operated from outside the receptacle for impelling the positioned flint on to the flint wheel, as set forth.

FREDERICK JAMES CAMM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,883,546 Campos Oct. 18, 1932 1,921,354 Florman Aug. 8, 1933 2,082,288 Hillyard June 1, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 199,062 Germany June 5, 1908 278,332 Great Britain Dec. 15, 1927 

